Trancing the Tiger (Chinese Zodiac Romance Series Book 1) (5 page)

“Hold on tight.” He reached back, seized her wrists, and clasped her hands together around his waist. “I don’t do slow.”

He revved the gas, the tires squealing while they pivoted around and peeled away. Her body slammed into his, her grasp cinching tighter as they sped through the streets. Lucy’s slender fingers spread across his abdomen, causing his muscles to tighten and his cock to throb. Was she purposefully teasing him with her velvety touch?

She slid her fingers beneath the hem of his t-shirt and his abs jerked as though sparked by a live wire. He growled once, in warning.

“Sorry. My fingers are cold. Do you mind?” Her murmur against his ear spiked his blood.

Was she actually cold or did he detect a sultry note to her voice? Did she suffer the same raging attraction he did?

With his concentration on navigating the streets and his hands gripping the handlebars, she had him at a disadvantage against the fanning of her fingers.

Her
warm
fingers.

They rounded a corner, and her body crushed against his. She didn’t draw back, and the imprint of her full breasts branded his back. He swore he could even feel her tight little nipples rubbing against him. He fought the urge to swing around and fuck her on the motorcycle. To hell with crashing—as if they’d even notice. They’d both survive.

Your fault, Tiger.
The beast practically heeled at her side. Like a bloody dog.

Was it Rabbit or Lucy, herself, driving them both to madness?

They squealed to a halt in front of a warehouse at the pier. He stiffened as he removed her hands from his waist and plucked her off the bike.

She regarded him, one hand grasping her opposite wrist while she scanned the dockyard and the scattered people milling around—mostly couples out for a midnight tryst or teenagers looking for trouble.

“Helmet.” He stretched out his hand.

She unclasped the strap and removed his helmet, shaking out those long, wavy locks. Tendrils curled over her breasts and down to her waist.

He licked his lips, his throat suddenly dry. His nostrils flared, inhaling her sweet, floral fragrance. Even caked in dirt, she was the most delectable woman he’d ever scented.

The helmet slipped from her fingers to his. The slightest brush of contact between them made him bite back a groan.

A knowing sparkle glinted in her eyes. Oh, yeah. She hadn’t missed his hard-on earlier and likely deemed she possessed an edge of power over him.

Foolish little Rabbit. Didn’t she know?

No one toyed with Tiger.

***

Sheng cast Lucy a panty-wetting smirk while his gaze caressed every inch of her body as though he owned it. His dark eyes held the wicked promise of retribution.

Her nipples tightened against her camisole, and his focus flicked back to them. The corner of his mouth curved wider with masculine shrewdness.

She balled her hands into fists, trying to squeeze away her arousal. The heat of his smooth, sculpted abs seared her fingertips. It had proven too much of a temptation not to brush her fingers under the hem of his shirt, to flirt with this tantalizing man.

Her wild attraction to him was a normal, natural reaction to almost being… What? What would have happened to her if she’d remained in the Gardens?

The cool, salty ocean breeze hazed around them. Using the briny air like smelling salts, she seized a small clearing of sanity and peeled off her attraction.

Why had he brought her to the harbor? Through the dim amber lighting, she made out the dozens of docked sailboats, a handful of warehouses, and the shadowy forms of other people.

A low hum vibrated the ground beneath her feet, and she pivoted to focus on the approaching dark van. The vehicle stopped in front of them, and out hopped Sheng’s friends.

“Hey, Lucy.” Mei waved and retreated to the rear of the van. Sheng joined her. After a few moments of shuffling, they all reappeared, carrying wooden crates that rattled while the group hiked to the edge of the pier.

“Go on. Grab one.” Sheng winked and jerked his head at the van.

“One what?” Lucy planted her hands on her hips. They were sorely mistaken if they assumed she’d help them with their drug-trafficking business.

Mei set her crate down in front of Lucy, crouched, and cracked open the lid.

Lucy peered inside. Vials. Drugs didn’t come in vials, did they? “What are they?”

“Vaccines for the Red Death.” Mei smirked. “Engineered it myself.”

Holy hell.
Lucy gaped at the tiny bottles of hope. Had she mistaken everything about these people? “What are you? WHO? Government?” Even though Mei appeared young, perhaps they worked for a top-secret laboratory.

“Nope. You think any government organization would let us do this?”

“Ah, do what?”

“Smuggle the vaccine. We use the ancient Silk Road trade routes. This batch is headed to India, for those who can’t afford it. Governments are so picky about who they give the vaccine to.” Her nose scrunched. “Some even auction it off.”

“Bastards.” One of the other men scoffed as he hoisted four crates with his massive arms.

“Look. There’s the boat.” Mei pointed into the distance.

As Lucy squinted, she detected the outline of an incoming ship.

Mei resealed the crate and carried it to the edge of the dock. The others continued unloading the van in a steady rhythm.

Lucy stepped to the van and shifted one of the crates into her arms. The knot in her chest eased as she lifted the box and followed the others. It was such a small thing, to transport a crate of vaccine vials, but this act gave her an enormous sense of purpose.

She could make a difference. She hadn’t been brought here for nothing.

After they’d loaded the crates onto the ship, Sheng waved her over to hop on his motorcycle, and they rode back to her uncle’s condominium.

Once they arrived, she slid off the back of his bike. Despite what they’d done together tonight, Sheng was just as dangerous as he’d been this afternoon. Maybe more so.

She’d never been one for the bad boy type. Why start now?

Lifting a shoulder in dismissal, she marched up the steps and through the sliding glass doors that opened for her.

“Not so fast.” His muscular arm shot out to snag her hand. “Don’t tell your uncle about any of this, yeah?”

His intense black stare pegged her. She opened her mouth to protest, but the sincerity in his eyes made her swallow her arguments. The truth was, she didn’t know her uncle any better than she knew Sheng. In fact, she’d learned more about her sexy neighbor than her father’s brother.

Sad, really.

Mom. Dad.

The richness of Sheng’s slight British accent reminded her of her mother and gave weight to her impulse to trust him.

Trust your instincts, Luce. They’re never wrong.

Her father’s words filled her, strengthening her resolve. Images of her parents cascaded through her mind and she sniffed back a tear.

“Hey.” Sheng curled one finger beneath her chin and tilted her face to his. “What’s wrong?”

His whole stance softened. She frowned at this bizarre man who morphed from badass smuggler to concerned…what? Bodyguard? Friend? Was he her friend?

Hardly. She shrugged out of his grasp, heading for the elevators.

She’d never had a friend whose body she envisioned licking every inch of before they had wild, wicked sex. Not even with Adam, the guy she’d almost lost her virginity to in university. Thank goodness she’d extricated herself from her wanton libido in time to realize she didn’t really want to have sex with Adam. The jerk had been far more interested in his pleasure than hers.

Ever since, no one had tempted her. When the Red Death struck, any contact with a stranger meant signing a death warrant.

She
was
too old to be holding the virginity card. The flirtation of intimacy with this seductive stranger drove her to the edge of temptation.

She shook herself as she stepped onto the elevator.
Not tonight.

Sheng joined her inside, but he didn’t crowd her, at least not with his body. Instead, she burned beneath his intense scrutiny while the elevator ascended. When they reached their floor, would he head to his apartment? Or would he finally open up? After helping him smuggle the vaccine tonight, her questions had piled on top of each other.

The door dinged open, and she treaded toward her apartment, every inch of her aware of the man trailing behind her. Her chest tightened as she fumbled through her purse for the keycard. It slipped from her shaking fingers, but he caught the plastic card before it fluttered to the floor.

Damned fast reflexes.

“Let me.” He did that enveloping thing again, commandeering her personal space, even claiming the air she breathed.

With a nudge, her door drifted open. She stood framed in the doorway, blocking him. “Do you work for my uncle?”

“Not exactly.” He winked. “You going to invite me in? I’m thirsty.”

Damn him. Reason warred with her libido. If Sheng sought to harm her, he could have done so any time tonight. Besides, security cameras were positioned on them. If Sheng was dangerous, her uncle’s guards would come to save her, right?

Overriding her concerns, every instinct she possessed screamed Sheng was her ally not her enemy. Evil people didn’t distribute vaccines to the poor. Despite his tough exterior, her gut declared Sheng was a good person.

She slipped inside, letting him stalk right in after her, and didn’t comment as he locked the door behind him. The tips of her ears tingled while she tensed for his next move.

The fridge in the kitchen cracked open. A slit of light fractured the tiled floor.

Relief eased out of her. He leaned against the counter, a bottle of water pressed to his lips as he drank.
Nice of him to make himself at home.

After a long gulp, he shut the fridge door with his foot and tilted the bottle at her. His mouth quirked. “You’re filthy. Go get cleaned up.”

Her fingers shot to her hair, and her hand came back bearing dirt, leaves, and moss. She cringed. Soil was caked beneath her fingernails, smeared and plastered across her face and body. This whole time, she’d expected him to seduce her, while she stank like the copse she’d hidden in.

Mortified, she spun and darted for the bathroom.

Chapter 4

Sheng prowled the length of the apartment, his gaze drawn to the bathroom door. He’d contemplated following Lucy, but she hadn’t extended the invitation.

Not with her sweet lips; not with her luscious body.

“Off limits,” he grated the words, trying to make them stick. What the hell was wrong with him? He hadn’t anticipated the bloody Rabbit joining his
Kongsi
, but now that Lucy was here, he refused to hand her over to Snake.

He’d only lost one to that asshole—Boar.

The defeat continued to burn through him, firing his urgency for a victory that much more. Pacing the tiled floors didn’t soothe his restless beast. If he stayed here much longer, Tiger might not remain contained.

Especially not with the temptation of Lucy’s scent coaxing the beast to the edge of its cage.

He cast one last glance at the bathroom door. The shower continued to hum, drowning out the pattering of her heartbeat. She’d be safe.

As he approached the apartment door to unlock it, the bathroom latch clicked open. Lucy stepped out, wet hair clinging to her flushed cheeks. The silk pajamas she’d donned did nothing to cover her curves. The fabric molded to her damp skin, pulling taut in all the right places.

Tiger pounced forward. The floral scent of her shampoo and soap didn’t mask her seductive fragrance. Sheng clenched his fists to prevent Tiger’s claws from springing out.

Damn. She was hot.

One arm crossed over her chest, she dangled Mei’s jacket in her hand. “I’d like you to leave.”

Making demands, are you?
The corner of his mouth lifted. She tried to look dominant, but she could never suppress what she was.

Prey.

And, hell, wasn’t he the predator?

He stalked forward until he rested mere inches from her. To her credit, she didn’t balk, although she eyed his body with obvious hunger.

“I was about to.” He snatched Mei’s jacket. “It’s late. You should sleep.”

The thin slashes of her dark-brown brows drew together. “I’m not a child. I don’t need to be told when it’s my bedtime.”

He leaned forward and brushed a damp lock behind her ear. Her skin shivered beneath his fingertips. “Are you going to make me put you to bed?”

He shouldn’t say things like that. Shouldn’t let Tiger out to play.

Her pink lips parted and he grinned. Had she picked up on the double meaning in his words? Good. He bared his teeth in satisfaction. The upper hand belonged to him.

“Good night, Lucy.” His lips feathered her neck as he purred into her ear. Damn, she smelled good. His hand clamped down on her hip, fingertips grazing the plush cushion of her ass. Before he stepped over a line he couldn’t uncross, he extracted himself from temptation. He removed a calling card from his back pocket and handed it to her. “If you ever need me.”